BRIEF COURSE DESCRIPTION

Transcription

1 COURSE INFORMATION Instructor: Perry Atwal Office: DL 515 Phone: Office hours: By Appointment Section number: 814 Course duration: April BRIEF COURSE DESCRIPTION This course takes a strategic and multi-disciplinary approach to the management of service businesses. Effective management of service organizations requires the integration of at least three major functions: 1) marketing, 2) operations, and 3) human resources. Students will develop a framework for recognizing and analyzing management problems in service industries and designing competitive strategies. The course will be of particular value to those who: Plan to work as managers in service organizations; Need to understand or evaluate service firms; Envision building their own service business. In addition, the concepts discussed will be beneficial to understanding how to add the most value to customers in any type of business. COURSE GOALS Students will develop a framework for recognizing and analyzing management issues in service industries and designing competitive strategies. MBA Critical Thinking Analytical Decision-making Integration Business Writing Oral Presentation Skills Ethics Sustainability PROGRAM GOALS - 1 -

2 LEARNING OBJECTIVES The learning objectives for this course are: Understand the key strategic elements of the services mix and why they must work together to deliver the optimal customer experience (the 8Ps). Understand how customers form expectations and differentiate between desired and adequate service levels. Understand how the level of customer contact affects communication strategy. Understand when it is appropriate to reposition an existing service offering. Determine how service blueprinting can be used to design a service and create a satisfying experience for customers. Understand what goes into designing the ideal servicescape. Understand the role of service culture and service leadership. Understand the strategies associated with the concept of relationship marketing. Appreciate why the marketing, operations and human resource management functions in service organizations need to be closely coordinated and integrated. ASSESSMENT SUMMARY Individual Class participation 10% Final Exam 60% Team Assignment Blueprint a Service Experience 30% Recommended (not required) COURSE MATERIALS Essentials of Services Marketing 2 nd Edition (paperback), Christopher Lovelock, Jochen Wirtz and Patricia Chew - 2 -

3 ASSIGNMENT DETAILS Blueprint a Service Experience Learning Objectives To develop a thorough understanding of service blueprinting by documenting an extended service experience with a high-contact service provider. To gain insights into how a service experience is made up of many different encounters and incidents, reflecting delivery of both core and supplementary service elements. To identify where and when activities occur in the service delivery sequence, documenting points that contribute to an overall perception of service quality (or lack thereof). Requirements 1. Familiarize yourself with Blueprinting by reading all of the articles on Connect underneath Course Readings and Further Information and then Service Blueprinting. 2. With your group, select and visit a service business. a. Examples include a visit to a professional service, such as a dentist or lawyer, a hospital stay, getting a car repaired, getting a haircut, renting a car, visiting a fitness centre or health club, attending a theatre performance and so on. b. Do not select a restaurant meal, as this is the example used in Chapter 8 of the textbook. 3. Blueprint the actions that you take (or the responses that your receive). a. You will need to gather enough information to prepare a detailed blueprint showing how a specific service is created and delivered to the customer. In most instances, this will probably require interviewing one or more managers and employees. b. Include all steps, however mundane, that make a positive or negative impression on you. c. Note with whom (an employee, another customer) or what (machine? Furnishings?) you are interacting at each step. Identify it as a Core service Element, Supplementary service, or Other. 4. Comment on your impressions at each step, for example a. Arrive by taxi at hotel. Doorman too busy chatting with bellboy to open door for me and other guests. b. Entered Lobby. Large and noisy, hard to find reception desk

4 c. Arrive at Desk. Long line of guests waiting at reception desk, only one clerk on duty. d. Check-In. After 10-minute wait, smartly dressed, friendly receptionist checked me in very fast, asked me if I wanted no smoking room (I did). 5. Evaluate the experience in terms of the impression it made on you (positive, negative or neutral). a. Assess the reasons underlying each of these impressions for example i. How did management achieve good impressions? ii. What shortcomings led to poor impressions? iii. To what extent is good (or poor) backstage support behind the observed front-stage results? 6. Prepare recommendations for management on the basis of your experience. (Note, these recommendations may include future research to determine the frequency of certain occurrences). Written Assignment Prepare a blueprint and a maximum of 8 pages (plus exhibits, if any) answering the questions stated above. Be sure to identify areas of strength and weakness (including potential bottlenecks and fail points). If appropriate, compare this firm s approach with the processes used by its major competitors. Add suggestions and recommendations for any changes or improvements. Presentation All groups will be asked to present their papers for class discussion on Sunday April 19 th. See the file Presentation Guidelines and Timetable in Connect for further details. Deadline This assignment is due at the beginning of class on Sunday April 19 th at 8am. Each team must submit a paper copy of their assignment. Late submissions will not be accepted, and every team member will receive 0%

5 TENTATIVE SCHEDULE Section Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 CLASS TOPICS Introduction to Service Management Focus on the Customer Building the Service Model The Service Concept Building the Service Model Educating Customers and Promoting the Value Proposition Building the Service Model Positioning the Service Managing the Customer Interface Managing Service Processes and Balancing Demand against Capacity Managing the Customer Interface Plan the Service Environment Managing the Customer Interface Managing People for Service Advantage Managing Customer Relationships and Building Loyalty Blueprinting Exercise Presentations Final Exam - 5 -